Weekend need-to-know: Celebrate Victoria Day with fireworks and Speedfest

Fireworks will be plentiful across the GTA for Victoria Day this weekend and there will be lots of other ways to celebrate the long weekend.

Some road closures will be in effect and there will be some closures due to the holiday on Monday.

Events

GTA Victoria Day fireworks

Ashbridges Bay Park: Come enjoy the end of the first long weekend of summer at Ashbridges Bay Park. Celebrate Victoria Day with a dazzling display of pyrotechnics that will definitely impress.

The display can be seen on the boardwalk from Lower Coxwell Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue, from dusk to 10 p.m.

Canada’s Wonderland fireworks: The amusement park will kick of their season-long fireworks display this Victoria Day weekend on Sunday, May 19. A spectacular fireworks display will go on for about 15 minutes, starting when the park closes at 10 p.m. with 11 separate firing positions and 1,800 firing cues.

Victoria Day Speedfest

The first event of the Motorsport Park’s season opens this weekend with the Victoria Day SpeedFest. There will be lots of races to check out including the featured NASCAR race on Sunday afternoon to kick off the 2024 NASCAR Canada schedule.

Off-track excitement will be available for fans of all ages including interactive displays, vendors, food and a Beer Garden.

It will be capped off with some Speedfest fireworks. Full details on how to purchase tickets and the full schedule can be found on their website.

Electric Island – Summer Concert Series

The Electric Island – Summer Concert Series kicks off this weekend at Fort York, a multi-stage outdoor parkside concert. The festival will feature an ensemble of some of the world’s best electronic artists alongside Canadian Talent.

Details and a full schedule can be found on their website.

Toronto Blue Jays weekend series

The Toronto Blue Jays will be taking on their division rivals the Tampa Bay Rays before starting a series with the Chicago White Sox on Monday with four chances to catch them in action over the weekend.

The games start on Friday at 7:07 p.m., Saturday at 3:07 p.m., Sunday at 1:37 p.m. and the holiday Monday at 3:07 p.m.

Road closures

Ongoing Gardiner closures

As part of the long-term construction plan on the Gardiner Expressway, one westbound lane and one eastbound lane are closed between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue. The eastbound on-ramp from Lake Shore Boulevard at Jameson Avenue is also closed.

Temporary road closures

Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day parade

From 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, the following road closures will be in effect for the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day parade:

• Southbound lanes on Bay Street will be closed between Bloor and Wellesley Streets.
• Wellesley Street will be closed between Bay Street and Queens Park Crescent East.
• Northbound lanes on Queens Park Crescent East will be closed between College and Wellesley Streets.

Victoria Day fireworks at Ashbridges Bay Park 

From 9 to 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 20, road closures will be in effect on Lake Shore Boulevard between Leslie Street and Queen Street East and on Coxwell Avenue between Lake Shore Boulevard East and Queen Street East for the City’s fireworks display at Ashbridges Bay Park. Toronto Police Service can provide further information about these road closures. 

Other ongoing city closures

• O’Connor Drive is down to a single lane each way between Bermondsey and Sandra for road reconstruction and sewer and watermain installation until the summer of 2024.
• Until mid-June, between 6:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on weekdays, Lake Shore Boulevard will be reduced to two westbound lanes between New Brunswick Way and British Columbia Road for the replacement of a fence. 
• The Yonge and Bloor intersection will be reduced to a single lane all ways for condo construction and sewer installation until 2025.
• University Avenue will be reduced to a single lane in both directions between College Street and Queen Street West to complete several infrastructure projects for the next several months.
• Queen Street is fully closed to traffic between Bay and Victoria Streets to accommodate work on a new station for the Ontario Line subway. The closure is scheduled to last for at least four-and-a-half years until 2027.
• Northbound Yonge Street is reduced to one lane between Wellington and King Streets for TTC construction. The project is scheduled to continue into 2024.
• Two northbound lanes of Yonge Street from King Street to Wellington Street are closed for TTC construction until Sept. 30, 2024.
• Finch Avenue West is reduced to a single lane in both directions from Dufferin to Wilmington for sewer installation until October 2024.
• Eglinton Avenue West is down to a single lane east of Islington and west of Scarlett Road for tunneling work related to the multi-year Eglinton Crosstown West Extension project.
• Lane restrictions on Bayview Avenue between Roehampton Avenue and Armistice Drive while the city completes road resurfacing, curb and sidewalk replacement, and traffic signal and pedestrian upgrades. One northbound lane is currently closed on Bayview Avenue between Kilgour Road and Roehampton Avenue.
• Cherry Street remains closed south of Polson Pier due to maintenance on the Ship Channel Lift Bridge (Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge). Road users are able to access the Port of Toronto and Cherry Beach via Unwin Avenue.